Wellbeing & Lifestyle

For veterinary professionals, compassion fatigue, burnout and depression often flow from a problem far upstreampsychological trauma. And most of us dont even realize were suffering.

Veterinary professionals: Once you understand how and why trauma affects the body, you can reverse its negative effects. Read on to learn how your brain and body change in response to traumatic stress.

Heres an overview of what psychology experts say constitutes trauma, plus some examples that place these definitions firmly in the world of veterinary professionals.

When were caught between the family we love and the veterinary career we cherish, our fears and guilt can overwhelm us. Stop beating up on yourself, veterinarian moms.

A prolapsed box turtle rectum pushed me to make the typical veterinarian choice: Get some time off or be the leader a freaked-out team member needed in the moment.

In veterinary medicine, there exists a culture of shame surrounding surgical error. Here, one DVM shares her experience with mental and emotional trauma during surgery and offers 7 steps to help veterinarians rewire their brains after a traumatic event in practice.

She started a popular walk-in event at her veterinary hospital, but this 2019 dvm360/VHMA Practice Manager of the Year finalist saw the toll it was taking.

In a session focused on small, practical changes veterinary technicians can make in their thinking and habits to prevent compassion fatigue or burnout, Fetch dvm360 conference speaker Kristina Guldbrand, ACC, BS, CVT, CSP, offered more than a dozen suggestions. Here are our three favorites.

The good, the bad and the awesome lessons one veterinarian learned as a new practice owner.

One recent study explores the effect of dysfunctional workplaces on veterinary team members, while another focused on the secondary stress involved in helping stressed pet owners, something called burden transfer."

I would have never dreamed of a daytime sleep habit, but doctors orders made me a believer.

Initial findings from a survey reveal that mental wellbeing may affect veterinary professionals on a global level, according to the World Small Animal Veterinary Associations new Professional Wellbeing Group.

It serves an important purpose, but there are other things you can do to help your veterinary colleague who's considering suicide. Here are some ways to help.

Not enough sleep, not enough exercise, not enough time. Is your job in veterinary practice to blameand can you fix it?

As part of short-term disability coverage, cost was unsustainable at the price, reports veterinary insurance expert.

Work and life inform veterinary surgeon Nick Trouts successful side gig: best-selling novelist.

As a performance animal veterinarian, Ive learned that if you get thrown from a bull, you have to get up and get back onunless that bull decides to land on you. Then you have to roll around and scream in pain.

Making access to dangerous drugs a little more difficult is a short-term, but important, solution in preventing suicides in the veterinary profession.

Veterinarians and veterinary students on Facebook told us long hours were a given to get into the profession. But are they good for practitioners, patients and the learning process?

I think that we well-meaning, hard-working veterinarians sabotage our own happiness, job satisfaction and personal health by doing these five things.

Some of us expect happiness to fall into our laps. Some expect it to never come. I think theres another way to think about being happy.

Its hard to take a vacation as a veterinary practice owner, but I wouldve missed the nicest folks, the prettiest nature and a snapshot of a funny Florida lady and a U.S. vice president if I hadnt taken time off.

After I shared my own story with the veterinary world regarding depression and suicidal thoughts, I learned how valuable it is to be there for that person and how an inch can, in fact, be a mile.

Sit. Stay. Stress. Good boy! If youre suffering from chronic stress, your dogs feeling it too, a new study says. Here are the details veterinary professionals need to know.

If youre struggling in small-animal or equine practice to find associates, check out the results of my unscientific survey that reveal new and future veterinarians wants and needs for their workplace.

If you or another veterinary professional need help right now, we have contact information right now. If youd like to dig deeper into our professions special resources, we have that here too.

Japans so-called Queen of Tidy helped me sort my T-shirt drawer, my office and my garage, keeping only the stuff that sparked joy. But I think these lessons offer us veterinary professionals a chance to ask that about every task and everyone in our lives.

Meaningful personal and professional growth may come at a level that seems easy as pie. Like so basic that surely the veterinary profession succeeds at it already. But no.